Management of cystic pancreatic lesions found incidentally

Solid and cystic pancreatic lesions are increasingly being found incidentally, owing to improved pancreatic imaging techniques, with ultrasonography, multidetector computed tomography (CT) scanning and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and a better knowledge of the characteristics and incidence of these lesions. One in every 5000 screening ultrasonographies reveals a potentially malignant cystic tumor of the pancreas [1]. Similarly to intraductal papillary mucin-producing tumors (IPMTs), more than 10 % of pancreatic cystic tumors are identified incidentally [2]. Malignant cystic tumors are frequently symptomatic and it is therefore highly probable that a cystic tumor which is discovered accidentally will be benign [2] [3]. The proportion of cystic tumors that are incidentally identified is increasing in France and the USA, rising from 8.8 % in the 1980s to 11.9 % in the 1990s [2].

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